We're in the thick of earnings season, and if you're an investor in any of the FAANG stocks, there will be a lot of moving parts this week. Outside of Netflix (NFLX 4.17%) -- which reported mixed but ultimately well-received financial results last week -- every other component of the popular growth stock acronym will be announcing quarterly results this week.
Facebook (META 2.98%), Amazon (AMZN 1.30%), Apple (AAPL 0.64%), and Google parent Alphabet (GOOG 1.25%) (GOOGL 1.27%) will be stepping up with fresh financials. Every report has the potential to move the market. You're going to want to pay attention to all of them.
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Four out of five better not be bad
With a whopping 80% of the FAANG stocks reporting this week, there's not going to be a dull moment. It all starts on Monday afternoon, when Facebook releases third-quarter results shortly after the market close.
There will be more at stake when Facebook reports than just its financial performance and near-term outlook. Facebook is under fire right now. A former product manager-turned-whistleblower made some pretty heavy allegations against the social media juggernaut. From airing her grievances on 60 Minutes to testifying before Congress, Frances Haugen is making it that much harder for Facebook to regain the market's respect. The company may be a cash flow beast at an attractive valuation now, but will it stay on top after so many social miscues itself?
Alphabet follows on Tuesday. It could have the headiest top-line growth of all five of the FAANG stocks reporting this season. Analysts see revenue soaring 37% from a year earlier, with earnings per share climbing even faster at a 43% clip. Alphabet has also faced some reputational challenges of its own this year. There are concerns with ad-tracking technology and the phasing out of cookies. It pales in comparison to what Facebook is up against, but it's something to watch out for in the earnings call.
Wednesday is Apple's time to shine. It's also expected to grow year-over-year sales north of 30%, with profitability increasing even more. Some potential pressure points to watch for here include supply chain concerns that could eat into iPhone 13 inventory levels and recent App Store changes that could impact profitability.
We'll close things out on Thursday with Amazon's report. Yes, each of the first four trading days this week will feature a single FAANG member offering up fresh financials. After four straight quarters of accelerating year-over-year revenue growth, the market's anticipating a sharp deceleration on Thursday. Net income is expected to decline. The bar is set low, but if reality matches the forecasts, investors may be concerned about Amazon's growth prospects.
We have four big earnings reports coming in these next four days. All of them have the potential to move the market, and most of them probably will.
